Suspect in shooting of 7 cops is Vietnam vet, competitive shooter

FLORENCE, S.C. (AP) - A Vietnam veteran who bragged online about maintaining his target-shooting skills was being held Thursday in the shooting of seven law enforcement officers, one of whom died, as deputies tried to serve a search warrant at his home.

Authorities said Frederick Hopkins opened fire on the deputies from inside the home and held children hostage while shooting long-range at other officers who rushed to the suburban neighborhood.

The sheriff department’s armored personnel carrier was brought in to recover the wounded during Wednesday’s two-hour standoff, and the shooter finally released the children as he was taken into custody, authorities said.

“Officers went there unknowing the firepower the suspect had,” Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said at a news conference.

“Fire was being shot all over. The way this suspect was positioned, his view of fire was several hundred yards. So he had an advantage. The officers couldn’t get to the ones who were down.”

Records show Hopkins, 74, is a disabled Vietnam veteran and disbarred lawyer who has faced several charges in recent years, starting with a 2014 count of disorderly conduct.

Authorities have not described what weapons were involved, but Hopkins apparently owned several guns, including an M-14 rifle. A 2014 post on his Facebook page said he celebrated his 70th birthday at a shooting range by repeatedly firing his M-14, set up exactly like the one he used in Vietnam.

“I have been shooting competitively since 1984 and lovin’ it. I just love the smell of gunpowder in the mornin’s,” said the post. Other posts from 2016 show images of rifles set up on what looks like a range, and say he was the “South Carolina 3-Gun Silhouette Champion for 2011.”

The violence stunned people in the area, where many have been dealing with record flooding from Hurricane Florence. Both the sheriff and police chief cried as they spoke to reporters after the standoff.

The slain officer, Terrence Carraway, 52, of Darlington, had just been honored for his 30 years of service with the Florence Police Department.

“I want you to pray for the family who lost the bravest police officer I have ever known,” said his chief, Allen Heidler.